We still use in modified form the system put in place by the Constitution, the system we currently call the Electoral College. Some consider this to be an important element of the Checks and Balances concept that the founders embedded in the Constitution. This system allows on rare occasions for someone to win the presidency even though they do not win the popular election. The citizens do not vote directly for president, but for "electors" whose job it is to make the official selection. See link for more details. People elect the president by watching what the canidates have to do for our country. Then we all go to the voting Ballet and vote for the candidate you think is the best person would be.
Election of the President and Vice-President is governed by the Twelfth Amendment. Primary elections in the states help to determine the candidates of the two major political parties (Democrats and Republicans), and a general election takes place between all the qualified major and minor party candidates. Following the determination of the votes within each state, the states send electors to the Electoral College, where the votes for President and Vice-President are officially cast.
Process
The regular citizens (who are registered voters) of the USA vote on the first Tuesday in November at the general election to elect the various members of the Senate and the House of Representatives as well as state and local government officials. Presidential candidates are placed on the ballot once every four years.
The elected members of the Federal Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) carry Electoral College votes from their home states, usually based on the majority party winner in each states polls.
The president is elected by polling the votes each state brings to the Electoral College.
In this day of televised counting and recounting the outcome of the Electoral College vote can be predicted before the college meets, but can still not be a guaranteed foregone conclusion, any state can change how it votes at the Electoral College - there is nothing in the constitution that binds it representatives to the Electoral College to vote along party political lines. It simply customary to do so.
Votes of the Electoral College
US Presidents are not directly elected by the individual voters but by the Electoral College, whose members pledge their votes to the candidate who won the popular vote in their State. In most States, the candidate with the majority of votes statewide receives all of that State's electoral votes; however, some States allow electoral votes to be divided between candidates.
There are a total of 538 electoral votes distributed among the 50 States and the District of Columbia. The President must receive a minimum of 270 electoral votes from any combination of States to win the election.
The number of electors for each State is equal to the total Senators and Representatives for each state, which is based on population, so some states wield more influence than others in determining who will be the next President. The States with the most electors are California (55), Texas (34), New York (31), and Florida (27). The least populated States: Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, Montana, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming have three (3) electors each (none has fewer); the rest of the States fall somewhere in-between. These numbers may change once per decade, after the federal census is tallied, if a State's population has increased or decreased significantly since the last census.
Drawbacks to the US election process are that a candidate may win the national popular vote, but lose the election due to the way electoral votes are distributed among the states; and that the Electoral College is not legally bound to support the voters' choices (but they almost always do).
Many people would prefer the President be elected directly by the voters in a secret ballot and many people see the wisdom of the current process.
US citizens go to local polling places where a public vote is counted and sent to the electoral college. They are usually supposed to pick the candidate which the citizens in their area chose.
The Constitution
The basic process of selecting the President of the United States is spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, and it has been modified by the 12th, 22nd, and 23rd amendments. Many additional steps have been added over the years, by custom and by state law -- the process has changed quite a bit over time.
Who Can Run
The President and Vice-President are elected every four years. They must be at least 35 years of age, they must be native-born citizens of the United States, and they must have been residents of the U.S. for at least 14 years. (Also, a person cannot be elected to a third term as President.)
How Do the Political Parties Choose Their Candidates
That's up to the political parties. Most political parties hold conventions, which are large meetings attended by "delegates." Some delegates are selected by state "primary" elections, some are selected by state caucuses (very much like primaries, except with public voting instead of secret ballots), and some are chosen for their prominence in the party. A majority of delegate votes is needed to win the party's nomination. In most cases, the delegates let their chosen presidential candidate select a vice-presidential candidate.
Candidates for President and Vice-President Run Together.
In the general election, each candidate for President runs together with a candidate for Vice-President on a "ticket." Voters select one ticket to vote for; they can't choose a presidential candidate from one ticket and a vice-presidential candidate from another ticket.
The Electoral College
The national presidential election actually consists of a separate election in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia; in these 51 elections, the voters are really voting for "electors" pledged to one of the tickets. These electors make up the "Electoral College." (In most cases, the names of the electors aren't written on the ballot; instead the ballot lets voters choose among "Electors for" each of the tickets, naming the presidential and vice-presidential candidates each slate of electors is pledged to.)
Each state has the same number of electors as it has senators and representatives (there are two senators from each state, but the number of representatives depends on the state population in the most recent census). The District of Columbia, although it isn't a state, also participates in presidential elections -- it currently has three electors.
The People in Each State Vote for Electors in the Electoral College.
In most of the states, and also in the District of Columbia, the election is winner-take-all; whichever ticket receives the most votes in that state (or in D.C.) gets all the electors. (The only exceptions are Maine and Nebraska. In these states, just two of the electors are chosen in a winner-take-all fashion from the entire state. The remaining electors are determined by the winner in each congressional district, with each district voting for one elector.)
The Electoral College Votes for the President.
The Electoral College then votes for President and for Vice-President, with each elector casting one vote; these votes are called electoral votes. Each elector is pledged to vote for particular candidates for President and Vice-President. In most elections, all the electors vote in accordance with the pledge they made; it is not clear what would happen in the unlikely event that a large number of electors violated their pledge and voted differently.
Normally, one of the candidates for President receives a majority (more than half) of the electoral votes; that person is elected President. That candidate's vice-presidential running mate will then also receive a majority of electoral votes (for Vice-President), and that person is elected Vice-President.
If There's No Electoral College Winner, the House of Representatives Chooses the President.
In the rare event that no presidential candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes, then the President is chosen instead by the House of Representatives, from the top three presidential vote-getters in the Electoral College; each state delegation in Congress casts one vote. (The Vice-President would be chosen from the top two vice-presidential vote-getters by the Senate.)
Does it really work this way
There are many arguments pro and con the Electoral College, but this system does guarantee that the person elected President has substantial support distributed throughout the U.S. The Electoral College has also been a major factor in the United States' long-term political stability.
by his age, born, votes
indirectly
they vote
president
Mexico has been a democracy where the citizens can elect a president and representatives since 2000.
People over the age of 18 who are registered to vote and are registered citizens of the US.
US citizens who are registered to vote elect delegates to the Electoral College, and the Electoral College elects the president and VP.
The President-elect is Barack H. Obama.
No Congress does not have the power to appoint the Commander in Chief. The Commander in Chief is the President and US citizens have the power to elect the President.
Joseph Biden is the Vice President-elect of the United States.
Joe Biden is the Vice President elect for the 2008 election.
A woman for a change.
eight years
2012
Republic. APEX